Wine, Cheese and a Conversation about War & God
War seems endemic. There have been precisely no years in recorded human history during which there were no wars or armed conflicts - and tragically, 2026 has not broken this pattern. How much has religion played a part in this? Has it been a force for good … or evil?
War - of course - is horrific. As the Motown song ‘War’ put it: “what is it good for - absolutely nothing”.
At the same time, there is a long tradition of what is called the ‘just war’ theory, that holds that war may be the least-worst thing to do in certain circumstances.
Join us for wine, cheese, and a conversation with an amazing panel of distinguished guests to discuss war in its modern form, and the part a belief in God plays.
Cost: $10, includes drinks and nibbles. Pay on the night.
PANELLISTS:
John Powers
John Powers has forty-eight years of experience as a paratrooper and senior executive within the US, Australian and Five Eyes national security, intelligence and defence communities. He commanded, in combat, at every level in the US Army from airborne ranger recon platoon to a brigade special mission task force. His unclassified combat deployments include Grenada, Bosnia, Somalia, Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan.
John is also a retired member of the US’s Intelligence Senior Executive Service where he was directly involved in planning and leading some of the US and Five Eye’s most sensitive intelligence operations world-wide.
John is a graduate of The Citadel – The Military College of South Carolina and the Australian War College. He holds advanced degrees from Georgetown University in international relations and from MIT in business administration.
John and his wife Katherine became Australian citizens in 2019. They have lived in Canberra since 2012.
Since retiring from government service, John has served as the chief strategist for commercial and academia institutions in Australia, Japan and the United States. He is a regular newspaper contributor and TV panellist in Australia and serves as a national security advisor to political leaders in both the US and Australia. He is the only “foreign” officer to sit on the RSL’s Defence and National Security Committee.
As a result of positions John held in the US Army and Intelligence communities, he routinely briefed members of Parliament and Congress, to include the Prime Ministers of Australia and the United Kingdom, as well as the President of the United States.
Grant Dibden
Anglican Bishop to the Australian Defence Force
Grant has been a Defence member for 47 years. He is a graduate of the Royal Military College, Duntroon and served 26 years as a logistic officer rising to the rank of Colonel in the Australian Army. He was Aide de Camp to General Officer Commanding Logistic Command, Career Advisor for Ordnance Corps, Deputy Assistant Adjutant and Quartermaster General of 6th Brigade, Commanding Officer 7th Combat Service Support Battalion, Directing Staff at the Joint Command and Staff College and Commander Force Support Group.
He was involved with the Navigators throughout his military career and left the regular Army in January 2005 to work with them becoming their National Director in 2009. As part of that transition, he became a part time Chaplain in the Australian Army reducing in rank to Captain and gradually rising to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel during his 15 years as a Chaplain. He deployed to the Middle East as the Senior Chaplain for the Australian Forces in the UAE, Afghanistan, Iraq, Kuwait and Bahrain.
Grant was appointed as the Anglican Bishop to the Australian Defence Force in 2020 where he still serves and is a member of the Religious Advisory Committee to the Defence Force having chaired the Committee for three years.
Darren Hindle
Senior Chaplain, Royal Australian Navy
Darren has served in ministry training roles, and as a church minister in Canada, USA, Hong Kong and Australia, and in the Defence Force. In July 2005 he joined and commissioned as an Officer in the Royal Australian Navy, and assumed his first posting as a chaplain in HMAS Waterhen. Since 2005 he has served in most service categories in the Navy, with a break between 2007-2012 when he served as an Associate Minister and Senior Minister in churches in Hong Kong, and Leichhardt. In 2017, he returned to serve full time in the Navy and was posted to HMAS Kuttabul, undertaking higher duties as Senior Chaplain and Co-Ordinating Chaplain Australia—East. He was advanced to Senior Chaplain in 2019.
He has served operationally in the Middle East, the Solomon Islands, and within HMA Ships Tobruk and Canberra. In the later, he served as Senior Chaplain Surface Force (2020-2022). Collectively he has been force assigned to 10 different Operations.
In 2024 Darren assumed responsibilities as Director Fleet Chaplaincy, and is currently completing his third year in this posting. This year he will be the CCTF Command Chaplain.
He holds a number of qualifications and most recently, he graduated with a Doctorate in Military Chaplaincy, at Fuller Seminary, CA, USA.
